The Return of the Crystal Senshi

The Lost Darkness

Savagekitty

Emerald opened her eyes, looking around. She was confused, but she couldn't remember why she should be confused. Then she remembered. She raised her head, looking around. Somehow she was on the ground. There was a wheezing noise from under her. She raised her body off of Sailor Pluto, standing. She glanced around the dungeon at her friends and enemies. Everything, indeed, had stopped. Black Lady was lunging at Demande, her face a snarl of rage. The senshi were rushing forward, Jupiter and Ruby to Usagi, and from the way her body was turned, Sapphire and Mercury to the Queen. Emerald looked down at Sailor Pluto.

She was laying on her back, one arm over her chest, the other thrown out, clutching her staff. Her dark face was ashen, her eyes closed, and her breathing shallow. Emerald kneeled by Pluto, trying to find a pulse. She found it, it was slow, faint, and getting fainter, "Pluto…what did you do…"

"She stopped time."

Emerald, startled, turned, seeing a woman in the shadows. Emerald fell onto her butt in surprise as the woman stepped forward, smiling. Emerald's scenes hummed as she studied the woman. She was beautiful, a classic beauty that Emerald was jealous of. Her skin was milky and her eyes a bright green. She wore a senshi fuku, but in all white. Her hair was long, to her ankles, and white. Emerald knew this woman, but she didn't know from where. She felt familiar, safe, and warm. The woman came closer, standing over Emerald and Pluto. Emerald's first thought had been Sailor Cosmos, from the old Sailor Moon stories. From what Emerald remembered, her fuku had been very much the same. It couldn't be, though...

She kneeled, taking Pluto's hand, "Your job is over, my old friend. It's time for you to rest."

Pluto gave a sigh and her chest rose and then fell, becoming still. The woman brushed Pluto's bangs from her forehead, and removed her tiara. She brushed her thumb over Pluto's forehead once, the sign on Pluto lighting up in a dark purple.

Emerald rose, staring in horror, "What did you do?" She couldn't even talk out loud. She had never seen anyone die that way before. It seemed too peaceful, too unreal.

She gasped again, the woman brushing her thumb once again over Pluto's forehead and the mark. With this second pass of her thumb, the sign disappeared and Pluto's body faded from sight, leaving her staff. The woman took up the staff, standing. She stepped forward towards Emerald, "She had broken the first taboo, Emerald. You know that. Stopping time is the most serious of taboos." She stepped to Demande and took the crystals, both in one hand. She looked down at them, moving them around like a dealer would a pair of dice. Emerald uttered a strangled scream.

"My GOD! What are you doing?! You'll kill us all by joining them together!"

The woman laughed, a bell-like harmonious laugh, "Emerald, I made this crystal… these crystals. They are mine to command." She looked down at them and smiled, "I have to say, I did a very good job when I made the Silver Crystal."

Emerald watched the woman, "I'm very sorry. I am confused and frightened at the moment. Who are you?"

The woman tilted her head to the side, her face fading into seriousness, "Emerald, you know who I am. I am with you from the moment your eyes open in the morning, to when you dream at night. I am the little sense of duty, honor, forgiveness, and vengeance for the wronged. If you must name me, I suppose Light would do."

She started to walk around the frozen body of Black Lady, clicking her tongue, "My dear little piggie! Oh brother darling, you have made such a mess." She slipped her free arm around Black Lady's shoulders. Light stood behind her, pulling Black Lady to her chest and then time seemed to slow up. As if thawing, everything in the room started to move. And then they went faster until they moved normally.

Black Lady struggled against Light and Demande looked as if his dog had been kicked, "The Crystals!"

Light held them out, "Right here, big boy." Black Lady screeched, clawing at Light's arm, but it had no affect. Light held the woman in an iron clad grip.

Demande lunged forward for the crystals but Light pulled them back. She closed her fist around them and then opened it, letting Demande see they were gone. She pulled the staff from the crook of her arm and tossed it into the air, "Power of Light and Darkness, find the next Senshi of Time."

The staff twinkled and it disappeared. Emerald scratched the back of her head as Sapphire picked the Queen up in her arms as if she weighed nothing. Sailor Mercury was checking her for injury. Ruby and Jupiter helped Usagi up. The blonde glared at Demande, but talked with Ruby and Jupiter in low tones. Light looked over at the bodies of Saphir and Esmeralda. Then looked closely at Demande, "Damn you Darkness, I loathing cleaning up your messes."

With a snap of her fingers Esmeralda's and Saphir's bodies were gone. Demande blinked, his eyes becoming clear and he breathed in slowly, "What the hell?"

Light laughed, "Sorry. You'll have a headache for a few days, but I don't think you'll mind. My brother here has toyed with you and your people long enough. Speaking of which."

She gripped Black Lady harder and stepped backward. Her arm passed through Black Lady's chest, making her cough and heave dryly, as if trying to vomit something up. Black Lady stumbled forward as Light stood back, holding something in her arms. A formless black shadow that struggled against her, "No brother, not this time. I am tired of this. You will see Mother and Father this time."

The black mass twitched and like a puff of smoke, vanished on some nonexistent wind. Light smiled, Erin looked around, confused. Emerald strode up to her, taking her by the arms, "Erinchan?"

Erin blinked a few times and then burst into tears. Emerald held her tightly, looking at Light over Erin's shoulder. Light shrugged and then looked at a pocket watch that was strung across her chest over her fuku's bow, "Oh damn. I hate short visits, but I have to go. The staff found a new Time Senshi. So, good to see you girls again. Good luck saving the world, and I'll see you later."

Light turned but Emerald lunged forward and grabbed her shoulder, making Erin gag from being choked, Emerald' arm around her neck. Emerald let her go and then looked at Light, "You can't just leave, what happened? What did you do? Who was that?"

Light sighed, frustrated, "That was my brother. Black sheep of the family, don't you know. We are the Balance you girls maintain. He was unbalancing the Balance so I had to fix it. I sent him home to our Mother and Father. They will punish him."

"Oh… where'd the crystals go?" Emerald said, a little sheepish now.

"Back where they belong," Light motioned over at Usagi and Serenity. Erin looked around Emerald's shoulder at Light, "If…if you are a senshi…"

"Not just a senshi, darling, THE Senshi. I created them." Light said, smiling.

"Oh, well… what about my powers?" Erin said quietly, "I like being senshi and helping people. I don't remember much about that thing in me but I do know I used all my power to protect Serenity… and after your brother, I guess, used my body…"

Light snapped her fingers and laughed, "Well for Heaven's sake, why didn't you just spit it out? I almost forgot the other reason I came."

She reached forward, across Emerald and touched Erin's forehead. With her index finger, she pushed on the space just above her eyes in the direct middle. Erin gave a cry of alarm as she was engulfed in a purple light and she stepped back in a new senshi fuku. Her forehead blazed with the sign of Saturn and then faded into a gold tiara set with a dark onyx stone. Light grinned at her, "Well, Sailor Saturn?"

Erin gasped as the staff of a glaive formed in her hands. She looked from it to Light. Emerald blinked, impressed, "Well, I'll be."

"Yes you will." Biting her lower lip, Light pressed her thumb into Emerald's forehead. Emerald closed her eyes, the pain of Light pressing the emerald stone in her forehead changed to a burning one. She opened her eyes and turned, watching Light press a finger into Sapphire and Ruby's foreheads. Light dusted her hands off when Ruby flashed in a gold light and waved, "Ta, ladies!"

Emerald protested, but Light was gone, leaving a room full of confused people. Emerald rubbed her forehead and was surprised to find a tiara there. She hadn't had one in years. She didn't know what senshi she was, but she knew that Ruby was the new Sailor Uranus, and Sapphire was now Sailor Neptune. Sailor Saturn went to stand with her friends. Saturn wore a pair of dark purple boots up to her knees, they were laces up, with a low heel. She wore the typical senshi garb, for a planetary senshi, meaning she wore white now. Her gloves were short, to her wrists, with thick loops of dark purple. Her bows, her collars, her skirt, all the same color. Her hair no longer had the magenta shoots she had as Black Lady, instead, it was a dark auburn color with black shoots. A shocking white strip at her part ran down the left side of her face. Uranus wore gold and navy blue on her uniform, dark yellowish gold bows, navy skirt and boots to her ankles. Her gloves came to her elbows with a navy colored ring at the top. The jewel in her tiara was navy also. Neptune wore a aqua colored fuku, with a darker green for her bows and the shoes that were Mary Jane like with a heel. Her gloves her like white fishnet material with a ring of colored cloth across her knuckles, leaving her fingers and palms bare, and the colored cloth in a sea foam greenish kind of color at her elbow. Both their hair hadn't changed much, though, Uranus sported navy shocks of color in her blond where the red used to be, and Neptune's hair was in a thick braid down her back.

Each held her weapon, Uranus had kept her hammer, Neptune kept her fans, though they seemed to be made of coral now. And Saturn held her glaive. It wasn't that different from the staff she carried before, just a cap of two feet of heavy steel would take some getting used to.

Emerald took stock of herself. She hadn't changed much. Her hair was still crimson, her fuku had only changed from black to white, but the green accents had becomes lighter, almost a moss green. Not very appealing in her book. She called on her sword. Same sword. She shrugged and sent her sword back to save keeping and joined her friends. Serenity had woken up, once Saturn had a good look at her. Saturn could still heal, thank goodness. Mercury and Jupiter whistled, looking over their friends.

"Planetary. That's amazing." Mercury said, studying them with her computer. Jupiter looked Emerald over, "Who are you?"

Emerald shrugged, "I don't know, yet. I guess since my back was turned to you guys, I'll have to wait until Artemis or Luna has a look. For now, we have a planet to get back to and you," she turned to Demande, "As leader of the Senshi of this solar system, I extend to you and your people an invitation to join the United Planets." She bowed to him and straightened.

Demande thought for a moment, looking at Saturn, then smiled, "Sure."

"Sire!" A man had ran in, panting wildly, "Sire! The…the planet!"

Demande stepped forward, "What is it, Lexington?"

"We're on a collision course with Earth!"

End Chapter Nine